estabansmythe Reviews

Zane Grey Theatre: Sundown at Bitter Creek (1958) Season 2, Episode 19

A dash of "High Plains," "Flying Dutchman" & "Twilight Zone"

[6/10 · 4 March 2024]

This little one-act by a guy who sold two story ideas in his brief career incorporates a little of 1973's "High Plains Drifter," a little of the mythological "Flying Dutchman" & a little "Twilight Zone."

I'm not spilling the beans & saying how - you gotta watch.

It does feature a 54-year old gunfighter Dick Powell, who did not really look as though he was really into it. He was a tad too old but he was one of the show's producers as one-fourth of Four Star Productions.

He's in love with a favorite of mine: Beautiful 35-year-old Cathy O' Donnell and those incredibly sad eyes. Who's in love with older guy Dick. It's always wonderful seeing Cathy O'Donnell, who, sadly, died way too young of cancer, in 1970 when she was only 46.

Also on board is Nick Adams, who seemingly wore a envy & an unfortunate chip on his shoulder through his adult life - and who died in 1968 of a probably suicide when was only 36.

Nick was never a very good actor and he often stunk - and he had about 20 TV show appearances on his resume by the time he did this one.

So, it's hard to recall a actor doing a more unbelievable downing of a shot of whiskey during a poker game. You wanna tell a decent of good actor from a hack: Watch how they drink something, be it a glass of milk or a cup of coffee, a sip of beer at the bar - and downing a shot of whiskey. Nick Adams' attempt here was a hack trying to be "a dramatic actor" and it looked as fake as can be!

Overall, this was not a great episode.

Banacek: Rocket to Oblivion (1974) Season 2, Episode 6

The most overacting cast ever?

[22 April 2023]

Harry Truman was right when he said that the buck stops with the person in charge.

In the case of this "Banacek" episode, that would be a director I've always liked, Andrew V. McLaglan, son of Best Actor Oscar winner Victor McLaglan & the director of my favorite John Wayne movie, "The Undefeated" (1969).

Andy let cast members Andrew Prine as an inventor play like the overacting ham he often was. Arnold Ziffel & Porky Pig were never even close to the ham Prine was on numerous occasions, probably topped by this performance that only Farmer John could love (but in real life, he was married to Brenda Scott not once, not twice, but three times so I do give im credit for that).

Meanwhile, bit player Robert Rothwell as a security guard was as amateurish a performance by an actor as you'll ever see. Picture, say, Donald Trump or Ed Sullivan portraying the security guard and, believe it or not, Trump and Ed each would have been better actors.

So, whose fault was this? Director Andy's, of course because the buck stopped with him! It was his job to direct his actors and he didn't. His was a colossal failure.

Columbo: Étude in Black (1972) Season 2, Episode 1

Cassavetes worst consucter in film history

[22 April 2023]

I know: John Cassavetes is regarded by so many as a master actor - a giant in the world of Stanislavski's method acting, right there with Marlon Brando & James Dean.

True confession: I've found all three to have at times delivered performances so overwrought to the point of absurdity and even caricature.

In "Etude in Black," Cassavetes portrays a world famous classical music conductor, maestro of possibly/probably the Los Angeles Philharmonic, up there with genuine LA Phil conductors Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen and its maestro since 2009, Gustavo Dudamel.

Ha ha ha!

I would LOVE to show those guys Cassavetes as LA Phil conductor here & watch their faces & hear their reviews.

Oh, my God, is Cassavetes atrocious! My impression is that the last time he ever paid attention to any classical music conductor anywhere at any time may have been when he was seven years old.

John Cassavetes clearly knows absolutely nothing about conducting to the point of being laughable.

He appears to think that all a conductor does is wave his arms around virtually the same way every time, no matter what music was being performed.

Cassavetes, star Peter Falk & veteran actor-director Nick Colasanto should all be ashamed of his "show" because he ruins a fine episode.

Falk & Nick should have drummed up to the courage to actually direct this hard-drinking, temperamental star because no actor I've seen ever needed direction by a professional director more.

Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)

BOB HOPE'S BEST & FUNNIEST

[10/10 · 15 January 2023]

"Monsieur Beaucaire" (1946) is a period piece, taking place in France during the reign of King Louis XV.

Lavish palaces. Dazzling costumes. The most deductible of gourmet offerings and the choicest wines: they're all here.

So are with threats of war with Spain and dangerous palace intrigue - mostly romantic intrigue. Heck, it overflows wonderfully with romantic/sexual shenanigans.

So is the maximum effort to keep one's head - physically as well as mentally. It's a constant priority.

And in the middle of all of this: You got it, Bob Hope!

I love Bob Hope - always have, always will!

It didn't really matter what he was doing: Appearing on radio, making TV appearances & hosting his TV specials or heroically entertaining the troops overseas during the Vietnam War - or starring in his own movies, as he did for more than an unbelievable 60 years - from 1938 through 1969, I just loved the guy.

He was FUNNY!

And of everything he did, to me, "Beaucaire" was tops: His best film, his funniest film**!

Take into consideration that Hope made a lot of hilarious comedies, including."The Cat & the Canary" (1939), "Ghost Breakers" & "Road to Zanzibar" (1940) and most of his & Del Bingle's "Road" pictures, and so many more.

** I will say this: "Princess and the Pirate," which he made two years earlier in 1944, is "Beaucaire's" equal.

If you tune in, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I! :)

Foul Play (1978)

Tries for the wonderfulness of "Silver Streak" (1976), but ...

[5/10 · 3 March 2022]

This 1978 romantic-comedy-mystery had two goals, and they each had to do with the film's leading woman, Goldie Hawn, and man, Chevy Chase.

Goal #1 was to give Hawn, the former giggly, ditzy "Laugh-In" dumb blonde-turned-Best Supporting Actress Academy Award-winner (1969's "Cactus Flower"), credibility as a bona fide romantic comedy star in the mode of Rosalind Russell, Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur, Irene Dunne Barbara Stanwyck and Myrna Loy.

Goal #2 was to turn good looking pratfall king Chase into a debonair romantic comedy leading man. Except for two set pieces showing the clumsy stumblebum Chase, he played it straight and perhaps a tad too low key.

The result as directed by Colin Higgins - who only helmed this debut, "9"to 5" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" before his premature death from AIDS in 1988 when he was only 47 - was an often uncomfortable chemistry between Hawn and Chase.

These two just never took off in a way that comes anywhere close to such classic romantic-comedy pairings as Cary Grant and Russell in "His Girl Friday" (1940), Grant and Dunne in "My Favorite Wife" (also 1940), Gary Cooper and Arthur in "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), Lombard and her then-real-life ex-husband William Powell in "My Man Godfrey" (also 1936), Stanwyck and Henry Fonda in "The Lady Eve" (1941) or Myrna Loy and Powell in any of the six classic "Thin Man" mystery-comedies from 1934-1947.

"Foul Play" was produced by the successful team of Edward Milkis & Thomas Miller. Two years earlier, they produced a classic romantic comedy adventure that was everything that "Foul Play" was not: "Silver Streak." In that one, the chemistry between leads Jill Clayburgh and Gene Wilder, hit all the right marks from their first moments together.

By the way, what seems like at least 10-12 minutes are taken showing a stage production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Mikado" - maybe more. Too long. If I wanted to see "The Mikado," I'd see "The Mikado."

As for the ultimate 70's screwball comedy, "What's Up, Doc?," that also takes place in San Francisco, and whose leads, Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal, also have incredible chemistry together. It's only a 2.5 on that masterpiece's 10-scale.

Regarding "Foul Play": Nice try. It was okay, but should have been better.

Perry Mason: The Case of the Velvet Claws (1963) Season 6, Episode 22

A rare terrible "Perry Mason" episode

[31 January 2022]

Nothing about this Season 6 episode of "Perry Mason" from March 1963, "The Case of the Velvet Claws," matters.

The plot doesn't matter. The fact that it's based on a novel by Erle Stanley Gardner matters - or that it had been filmed before, in 1936, with Warren William as a party boy smarty pants rogue Mason.

None of the actors and actresses matters, except for one: Patricia Barry.

Barry absolutely ruins this episode to the point of rendering it unwatchable.

As scheming, conniving Eva Belter, Barry delivers one of the most obnoxiously hammy, overwrought, flat-out unlikable performances in TV history.

To be fair, she's not really to blame because actors are mostly mere tools for the director.

In this case, the buck stops with former editor-turned-director Harmon Jones.

Jones earlier helmed the baseball films "The Pride of St Louis" in 1952 & "The Kid From Left Field in 1953. He then moved to TV, directing dozens of shows, including six "Masons," nine "Tarzans" & 40 "Death Valley Days."

I blame Harmon.

Gidget: All the Best Diseases Are Taken (1965) Season 1, Episode 10

Ruined by the guest star

[30 May 2016]

The reason that Episode 10, "All the Best Diseases Are Taken," from November 1965, fails is for one reason, and for that, there are numerous contributors.

Gidge & LaRue (Lynette Winter) decided to protest when their local movie theater raises its ticket prices only for the Friday & Saturday evening showing that most of Gidget & her high school pals attend.

Gidge get protesting, folk singing hero Billy Roy Soames to join the cause.

However, in the end, Soames, who is staying Gidget & Prof Lawrence (the wonderful Don Porter) splits just before the rally, proving to be little better than a wandering bum to whom an actual commitment means nothing.

The episode's problem: As written by Tony Wilson, and as directed by journeyman E.W. Swackhamer, and as played by future cult film director Henry Jaglom, Soames is so thoroughly unlikable that the episode is ruined.

He's rude, crude, manner-less,and completely self-centered. He's disgusting and who can root for someone like that? And because of that, who can really enjoy this episode? What a shame.

Had guest Martin Milner in an earlier episode, "The Great Kahuna," played his legendary surf bum like that it would have ruined what is one of the show's finest episodes.

Murder, She Wrote: The Scent of Murder (1995) Season 11, Episode 12

Filmed at the Arboretum

[3 April 2016]

All of the outdoors exterior scenes of this episode: "Murder, She Wrote," "The Scent of Murder" (Season 11, Episode 12, that aired January 9, 1995), were filmed on the 127-acre grounds of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, CA.

The productions crew used the waterfall at the base of Tallac Knoll, the Old Fashioned Rose Garden, the Celebration Garden, the Herb Garden & the Tropical Greenhouse.

What wasn't used in this episode is the Lagoon and the landmark Queen Anne Cottage (originally built in 1885), which was used in the November 1989 episode, "Night of the Tarantula" with guests Hurd Hatfield, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, John Rhys-Davies & Shani Wallis. The Lagoon & Cottage are best known for their extensive use as Mr. Rourke's (Ricardo Montalban)home on "Fantasy Island" - Rourke's diminutive right-hand man, Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize)filmed his now-iconic, "de plane, de plane!" from the Cottage's bell tower.

Arcadia is just east of Pasadena in the San Gabriel Valley, approx. 20 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles. The Arboretum is directly across the street (Baldwin Ave.) from on of horse racing's finest tracks, Santa Anita.

It should be noted that filming began at the Arboretum in the early 30s when the Lagoon was used for the Johnny Weissmuller-Maureen O'Sullivan "Tarzan" adventures, including "Tarzan Escapes" in 1936.

As it happens, I did public relations/publicity & promotion at the Arboretum in the mid-80s.

Fairfield Road (2010 TV Movie)

We've heard the title song before

[8 March 2016]

I'm just starting to watch Hallmark's "Fairfield Road" (2010). I only got to the credits before one thing became obvious: I've heard this title song before.

"Fairfield Road's" composer is listed as Ian Thomas and this film is his only IMDb credit.

However, it must be noted that the music to his instrumental theme song is, in fact, "Durham Town (The Leavin')," a 1969 written and performed by Kenyan/British singer-songwriter and musician Roger Whittaker. The song hit #12 in Great Britain when it was first released in 1969. When it was re-released in 1976, it hit #8 in Canada and #23 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart (now called the Adult Contemporary chart).

What gives?

Death Race 2000 (1975)

The greatest B film ever?

[10/10 · 25 November 2015]

Paul Bartel's "Death Race 2000" could very well be the Best B Film Ever.

It has every exploitation feature necessary; everything a low-budget flick needs to be considered a classic of the genre: beautiful gals flashing a nifty amount of nudity/T&A, really fun violence, a fast-moving plot, zooming action & hilarious characters delivering their lines with great zest.

Stallone's pre-"Rocky" Rocky is howl; Carridine plays it straight to perfection; B Queens Mary Woronov & Roberta Collins chew up the scenery & have a sexy blast; pre-Gopher on "Love Boat" & pre-Congressman Fred Grandy shows an unexpected side.

And the three TV broadcasters, the legendary "Real" Don Steele, Joyce Jameson and little known-but-terrific Carle Bensen are a scream! It's tongue-in-cheek farce at its finest! Man, I love this movie!

Lured (1947)

A wonderfully fun curio loaded with favorite actors

[8/10 · 23 November 2015]

In a way, "Lured" is actually George Zucco's film. Why? Because of his counter-casting, even though there has never been any doubt that this great mostly-unknown English actor (except to horror & comedy-mystery fans) would have pulled it off with his usual style & class, and here, humor (remember, he was a hoot in "After the Thin Man" & "Topper Returns").

It's a fun whodunit with a really solid cast from top to bottom, including favorites Alan Mobray, Gerald Hamer, Joseph Calleia, Charles Coburn,and Alan Napier (Alfred the butler on "Batman").

"Lured" is about a lady killer on the loose in London, and includes a cast with such leading stars as Lucille Ball, George Sanders, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and George Sanders - but it's Zucco who always demands that the viewer watch.

Horror legend Boris Karloff shows up in as a crazed dress designer. His moment is priceless.

Hopefully, one or two of the terrific new retro networks will add this to their rotations.

Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest (1997 TV Movie)

A real movie

[17 June 2014]

"Murder, She Wrote: South By Southwest," is a title that's an obvious homage to Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 classic suspenser, "North By Northwest," This is because while a great portion of the Hitchcock classic takes place aboard a train, so does this thriller - and a thriller, it is! I loved Angela's "Murder, She Wrote, series - but this is so much more competent; so much more professional - it's production so much more stylish; so much more like a motion picture.

I'm watching this for the first time right now as I type this because I was drawn to record a wonderfully positive review. On my on screen TV guide, some igno gave it one star...one lousy star! I'm sorry, but this is a full three-star mystery! This is one of the finest, if not the finest, Jessica Flether "murder, She Wrote" mysteries of them all!

Phantom Killer (1942)

It's Mantan not Rochester

[19 January 2013]

This is directed to the guy who gives the kudos in "Phantom Killer" to Jack Benny's valet/chef/chauffeur/right-hand-man Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. You got it wrong, fellow. That was not Rochester playing Nicodemus, the janitor who sees a man talk who can't talk. Nope. It was the great Mantan Moreland.

BTW, this low budget Monogram 2-reeler is fun, especially if you're a fan of the dozens of Old Dark House mysteries that were produced in the 30s & 40s.

Mantan, who died in 1973 at age 71, is probably best remembered these days as Birmingham Brown, Charlie Chan's driver and cohort to Charlie's Numbers One, Two & Three sons in 14 Charlie Chan movies from 1944-1949.

Mantan also had solid roles in "King of the Zombies" (1941), "Dressed to Kill" (1941) with Lloyd Nolan as shamus Mike Shayne, "The Strange Case of Dr. RX" (1942) with another great, Lionel Atwill and many other fun films. He acted into the 1970s when he appeared in such TV series as "Love, American Style" and "Adam-12."

Mantan has deservedly been remembered in beloved fashion by many and needs to be recognized here.

Super 8 (2011)

A fun homage

[6 January 2013]

I have no idea what director JJ Abrams style is. Why not? Because "Super 8" might very well have been directed by its producer, Steven Spielberg. This IS a Spielberg-style film - and that ain't bad.

Hectic family life; dysfunctional family life; families in crisis, Spielberg trademarks one and all are all here.

Overall, the film is an wonderful homage to 50s B movie drive-in "classics" albeit with $50 million worth of today's finest effects.

As others have written, it's "The Goonies"-meet-"ET"-meet-"Close Encounters." And let's not forget "Alien." Heck, there's even a fun tribute: an electric company guy doing his best "Close Encounters" Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary, complete with identical yellow truck, yellow hardhat and sideburns.

But there's also touches of Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." Young heroes working to solve a mystery, a la the four 1939 Warner Bros. Nancy Drew mysteries with Bonita Granville & Frankie Thomas, as well as Disney's 1964 "Emil & The Detectives" have been around for decades and this is yet another fun addition.

The CG crashes are, as expected, too over-the-top (as they are in most blockbusters today), and the ending just doesn't come together in anything close to a satisfying fashion. And to be honest, there is a slight tendency to get frustrated waiting & waiting to finally see the mysterious "whatever." Face it, there are a lot of unanswered questions or unsatisfactory plot stuff, like the upside down folks, the cubes, the missing pooches, the tower and how it all comes together at the end (what was that?).

But it's still one hell of an entertaining old-style Spielberg popcorn flick! But the young cast is terrific, especially Riley Griffiths as amateur film director Charles. Riley made his film debut here, and as I type this it's the only film or TV work listed his his IMDb bio page. That should change.

Other young actors Joel Courtney (also making his film debut), Ryan Lee and Elle Fanning are each terrific! All the kids in the film are terrific.

I know that as soon as I complete this and send it on for approval I'll think of another dozen films that possibly/probably intentionally influenced portions of this highly entertaining movie.

A fun homage, 9 June 2011 Author: estabansmythe from Azusa, CA

Matchmaker Santa (2012 TV Movie)

I loved this!

[15 December 2012]

The Hallmark Channel produced a dozen new made-for-TV Christmas movies for the 2012 holiday season. I've seen a few. They're alright.

However, when it comes to this one, "Matchmaker Santa," I am not the least bit shy about confessing that I loved it! Yes, it's not deep & it really has no antagonists nor any real conflict that's essential to most plots - but so what!

And yes, we all know very well who Lacey Chabert is going to end up with, but with all the rotten things facing us out there in real life, this is exactly what the doctor ordered!

This Christmas romance fits like a glove! It is quite wonderful! The Christmas atmosphere of the fictitious small town of Buford Falls (a possible nod to "It's a Wonderful Life's" Bedford Falls), courtesy of Art Director Vahn Armstrong & Set Decorator Linda Louise Sheets is so rich, so warm - so charming & wonderful.

And the supporting cast of veterans Florence Henderson & Lin Shaye as active local businesswomen; and John Ratzenberger as Budford Height's easy-going mechanic & town mayor; and Donovan Scott, who has made a fine career out of playing Santa, are all so friendly that before long it hits you that you'd love to have these folks for neighbors. In fact, you'd love to live in Bedford!

"Matchmaker Santa" is a marvelous, indeed, magical new Christmas movie, and this comes from a guy who loves the old classic holiday films and TV specials, but who has never been overly impressed with the new ones.

I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I always do whenever I see it.

Dave (1993)

Capra's take on The Prisoner of Zenda

[7 July 2012]

I'm actually sort of surprised that no one has noted that the marvelous "Dave" is a remake of "The Prisoner of Zenda," about a commoner who impersonates his look-alike prince-crowned-king while falling in love with his princess to be. The only change in story is that while "Zenda's" hero lives happily ever after, alas, it's not with his princess.

Under Ivan Reitman's sure-handed blend of subtle comedy & drama, and backed by James Newton Howard's melodic score, Kevin Kline is aces as average guy/everyman Dave, who is plucked from Small Town, USA, to assume the position of the most powerful man on earth. Equally up to the task is Frank Langella as his evil, rotten, power- hungry Chief of Staff.

The co-stars, including Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Charles Grodin & Ben Kingsley,are each finely cast.

Three sound versions of "Zenda" were filmed: in 1937 with Ronald Coleman in the dual role & Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as his adversary; in 1952 with good guy Stewart Granger vs. baddie James Mason; and finally in 1979 - the least impressive version - with Peter Sellers, in his third to last role, fighting evil Stuart Wilson.

"Dave" matches up a lot closer with those earlier two versions than with the Seller's take. The shot of Dave heading back home over the hill, his job done, is a marvelous re-do of the Coleman version.

BTW, In 1968, Don Adams wrote a take-off on "Zenda" as well as its 2- part sequel in '69, but that's another story, so to speak.

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

The Best of the '50s Bif Dinosaur Monster Movies: it's great!

[7 July 2011]

When I was a kid growing up in Inglewood, CA, a local Los Angeles TV station, KHJ-9 (now KCAL-9) aired its popular "Million Dollar Movie." This programming format gave viewers the chance to see one movie nine times in one week, seven nights a week at 7:30pm and again on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Among the movies on its schedule were "The Monster From Green Hell," about giant wasps in a valley in Africa; and this genuine classic '50s monster movie, "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms." My pals and I saw it all nine times. And I'm happy to report that it still holds up beautifully! It is the finest of all the '50s monster movies, putting to shame the likes of "Gorgo," "Konga," "Tarantula," and especially, the pitiful "The Giant Gila Monster" and "The Giant Claw." The only monster movie to rival it at the time was the original "Godzilla." Ray Harryhausen's skills were still being developed when he made this in 1953, but they were still certainly good enough to make his monster believable, and genuinely scary, be the viewer a kid or an adult.

If monster movies are your thing, "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" is one you don't want to miss.

The Last of Sheila (1973)

My co-favorite whodunit: It'll have you playing along

[10/10 · 25 June 2011]

"The Last of Sheila" is my favorite whodunit (along with the 1945 version of "And Then There were None").

It is definitely one of the most involving & intricate whodunits I've seen.

And to think it was all devised by old New York pals Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim - brilliant! Witty, sarcastic, sadistic, funny ... brilliant! And brought to the screen in such lively fashion by Broadway vet Herb Ross, who keeps it moving at a crackerjack pace.

The casting is terrific! Only Raquel Welch comes off as a tad superficial & unsure of herself.

I confess that I've been a fan of James Coburn since I was a little kid, and my God, was he ever in his element as a fun-loving yet cutting & mean-spirited producer on a very serious mission.

The bottom line is this: if you enjoy whodunits, then "The Last of Sheila" should be on your list of must-see movies. You'll love it!

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Still too much Jack Black in so-so film

[5/10 · 4 June 2011]

A few things can definitely be recommended about "Kung Fu Panda 2" in 3D and none of them have anything to do with Jack Black. Overall, the film gets mixed grades.

The artwork, the visuals and computer graphics are simply stunning. The production team gets a tip o' the Dodgers cap. Seriously, it's the only reason to see the movie.

Having just raved about the visuals, it's got be be said that at least 10 minutes of the bombastic kung fu fight scenes could easily have been cut.

Why? Because it was nothing but ridiculous overkill, i.e., filler to flesh out a weak and mostly empty script so that the studio could deliver a 90-minute film & justify charging $10-15.

I read that star Jack Black is taking credit for re-writing much of his part. Ten-year-olds loved the results. I'm not sure that many over-10-ers did. Face it, the real Jack Black seems to be nothing more than a big overgrown 10-year-old, so it figures.

Not being a fan of his, a little Jack Black goes a very long way for me. I pretty much think that the guy is minimally talented & basically one of the luckiest, most fortunate people in Hollywood. I do not get his mega-fame.

BTW, John Powell & Hans Zimmer's score stands out in several places.

As for the rest of the big-name cast, octogenarian James Hong as Yoda and Gary Oldman as the chief Blue Meanie are darned good.

However, the rest just don't stand out at all. You could tell me that Jean-Claude Killy voiced Master Croc, not Jean-Claude Van Damme, and I wouldn't have known the difference.

The story & script: Since this is so obviously a kids flick, why did writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger get so deep into the philosophy of finding peace that was what the whole movie was about? This plot went nowhere with the kids I went with & talked to. It was way over their heads.

No, overall, "Kung Fu Panda 2" was a hodgepodge of good & bad. Good visuals, stunning even - and bad everything else.

Master of the World (1961)

A serious American International Pictures period adventure (and it's good!)

[13 March 2011]

I remember seeing this escapist gem, "Master of the World" (1961)after Sunday School one morning when I was 10 or 11. I loved it! AIP's Big Gun, Vincent Price is a thoughtful & gentlemanly, I'll call him, anti-hero rather than bad guy or madman. This is because while he does indeed blow up ships, killing countless men, he's on a quest to end war and thus, the only people he kills are those who make war.

Thinking back, this film's presentation of its writer, Jules Verne's, anti-war philosophy may have made a rather large impression upon me as I started reading about our war in a far-off place called Vietnam, circa 1965 or 1965. Who knows? Anyway, this is a rare motion picture: a serious American International Picture (AIP) film with a serious message.

The film provides Charles Bronson with one of his earliest leading man/hero roles. He handles the role perfectly.

Director William Whitney, who began his career directing Republic cliffhanger serials; and legendary horror/sci-fi/fantasy writer/screenwriter Richard Matheson and their cast play it seriously - as it should be played, the exception coming via Vito Scotti's fun, harried cook. AIP's in-house music director Les Baxter's score is also appropriate for the action.

The special effects team (Tim Baar, Wah Chang, Pat Dinga,Gene Warren) do very nicely working within AIP's usual '60s budget constraints.

The movie flows, it entertains, it even makes you think. This is a good movie!

The Pink Panther (1963)

A brilliant stylish comedy classic

[27 December 2010]

This original 1963 "Pink Panther" is unique. It's as stylish and sophisticated as it is slapstick.

Only "Panther" #2, "A Shot in the dark," come close in style and glamor. The rest of the series - filmed after a 14-year break, are all slapstick while completely lacking in charm and glamor.

From the first "ting, ting ting" of the triangle at the beginning of composer Henry Mancini's suave, adult & sophisticated score to the classy, upscale locales, this is a classy film.

And amidst it all, we have Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, a serious detective who is desperately, frustratingly in love with his wife, the ravishing Capucine, who frustrates him no end with her array of put-offs.

BTW, Capucine plays slapstick almost as well as Sellers, unique and surprising for such a strikingly beautiful actress.

The contrast between the incredible locations, the settings, the beautiful clothes and beautiful sophisticated people with that of Clouseau's innocent bumbling ineptitude is sheer brilliance.

This is one of the finest - most brilliant - comedies ever! Too bad so many of its viewers & IMDb reviewers can't grasp it's inspired four-star classic brilliance.

Ghostbusters II (1989)

This is MacNichol's film

[13 October 2010]

Ghostbusters II belongs to one actor: Peter MacNichol! His hilarious creepy weirdo, Janos, is priceless. Every move, every utterance is hilariously nuanced! His is a classic character of comedy cinema and I wish he had gotten more recognition for his work here.

Honestly, he should have gotten a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his Janos but the Academy rarely acknowledges brilliant comedic performances. In this instance, what a shame.

As sequels go, Ghostbusters II is a dandy (it'll be interesting to see how Ghostbusters III will fare 21 years after II and 26 years after the original).

Everything works in GB II for the first four-fifths of the film. Alas, the ending stinks. The ending is just B...A...D.

I mean, animating the Statue of Liberty by playing Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher"! Please. And then having the painting of evil Prince Vigo wiped clean and replaced by a Romanesque painting of the four Ghostbusters. Blah! By the for 80% are funny as hell and Murry is again a hoot, and Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis are also good; and Rick Moranis is again funny as their classically clueless nerd attorney. Fourth Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson has absolutely nothing to do; he's wasted.

But if you want to see a brilliant comic performance, see Ghostbusters II for Peter MacNichol.

The Mummy's Hand (1940)

What a great Mummy movie! (How come Lipton doesn't market Tana Leaf Tea?)

[28 April 2010]

Tana leaves were the Red Bull of ancient Egypt.

Nine leaves brought our Man Bout Town, "Mr. First Nighter," Karis the Mummy to life. More than than and he gets a tad unruly. In fact, he becomes an immortal uncontrollable monster.

Universal's killer "The Mummy's Hand" (1940) is not a sequel to their 1932 Karloff classic. Not no how, no way.

But that doesn't mean it's not great - it is! It's a 10 on the Fun Scale! A 10 on the Pure Entertainment Scale!

Everybody's fave, the great George Zucco brought his A Game to this one as the head of the Cairo Museum who moonlights as The High Priest of Karnak. Personally, I'd rather be a game show host.

Zucco is understated, underhanded, clever, slimy ... in other words, he's the Great George Zucco! Cowboy star Tom Tyler is terrific as Karis, especially with those hollow eyes! Wow! He is one bad mamma-jamma!

Tyler acted in nearly 200 westerns going back to 1924, including playing Stony Brooke in Republic's fun "Three Mesquiteers" cowboy series about three heroic pals who lived, ranched & saved damsels & town folk alike along the Mesquite River. This was a role he inherited first from Bob Livingston & then from the Duke himself, John Wayne, who played Stoney eight times in 1938-39.

The same year this film was produced, 1949, Tyler found popularity as Captain Marvel in the Republic cliffhanger serial of the same name. In 1943, he was another comic book hero in a Republic cliffhanger serial, "The Phantom."

As the hero, archaeologist Steve Banning, singing cowboy star Dick Foran has been given a raw deal here by some reviewers. He is just fine: appropriately heroic and also fun, serious, knowledgeable and romantic at all the right times.

No one seems to mention a man responsible for a lot of the film's fun, that wonderful character actor Cecil Kelloway (who, by the way, was eaten in 1953 by Ray Harryhausen's "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" and who, as Mr. Wichwacker, accidentally killed the three astronauts who landed on his cemetery planet in a classic episode of "The Twilight Zone.")

No, the killjoy reviewers here could not have misinterpreted "The Mummy's Hand" in a more off-base fashion.

"The Mummy's Hand" is a genuine Universal monster movie classic and is such marvelously fun entertainment!

Hot Dog... The Movie (1983)

Entertaining T&A "B" flick

[25 April 2010]

First came "Birth of a Nation," "Intolerance" & "The Battleship Potemkin," and stars like Fairbanks Sr., Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo & Chaplin.

Next came sound and with it "Gone With the Wind," "Citizen Kane," & "Ben Hur." Garbo wanted to be alone, but Gable, Tracy, Cooper, Bogart, Wayne & Hepburn didn't.

Cinema was evolving. An art form was created.

Then came "Hot Dog ... The Movie."

David Naughton wasn't Paul Muni, John Garfield or Claude Rains, but he was like-ably talented.

And incredible babes Tracy Smith, Shannon Tweed and Crystal Smith weren't in the Myrna Loy / Claudette Colbert / Jean Arthur ranks - but then these gorgeous girls d a lot more, and show a lot more than Myrna, Claudette or Jean ever dreamed.

It's good vs. evil plot pitting the hero vs. the bad guy is classic - and, in it's own incredible T&A B movie fest, so is "Hot Dog...The Movie."

The Graduate (1967)

A great & fascinating film

[24 April 2010]

"The Graduate" is not a comedy per se, regardless that it's brain trust of Director Mike Nichols & Screenwriter Buck Henry are from the world of comedy - and most of it totally zany comedy, at that. Zany, it isn't.

Yes, it has occasional comic overtones and light amusing overtones; and as Benjamin, Dustin Hoffman plays the part of the young, inexperienced graduate initially in a haltingly often amusing manner, this film is a drama, not a comedy.

Some reviewers here go so far as to call it "hilarious." It's not hilarious. If I were Mike Nichols & Buck Henry I'd be ticked at anyone who thinks of it that way.

A great film? Yes. An iconic '60s classic? Yes. A comedy? Well, no.